Stakeholders in the education sector have described the non-release of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) of 13 debtor states as a national embarrassment.
Some respondents, who spoke with NAN on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the governors were politicking with the education of their subjects.
WAEC had on August 10 announced it was withholding the results of 13 states due to their inability to pay the fees as agreed with the council.
Mr Jerry Okere, an educationist, said that such news should not be heard at all in Nigeria’s education sector as it showed signs of irresponsibility.
“For a state government to decline to pay up the WASSCE fees of their students as agreed with WAEC even after the council had issued a threat is a national embarrassment.
“The governors and states involved are embarrassing the nation; for a governor to sign a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) with WAEC only to renege on it is very embarrassing.
“They should not have made such pronouncements if they did not mean to honour it; you do not play politics with the education of your subjects.”
Okere advised WAEC to demand for an upfront payment in subsequent MoUs not just a promissory agreement.
According to him, states should make a commitment of up to 80 to 90 per cent of their total fees before WAEC should oblige them.
He said that the governors made those pledges to win elections and they must fulfill them.
On students’ performance, Okere dismissed the impression that the result was fair in comparison with that of the previous year. “I will not concur that it is a fair performance; 39 per cent out 100 per cent is not a fair performance; it could be an improvement on the figure but certainly not a fair one.
“Why is it that we cannot have a 60 to 70 …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
